Her mouth speaks wisdom, and loving instruction is on her tongue.
Proverbs 31:26 (CSB)
An email filled with criticism had slipped into my inbox that week and it hurt my feelings . . . for days. That one email set off a storm of self-doubting emotions. It’s amazing what one person’s criticism can do. When someone criticizes me as a mom, I’ll doubt ...

Breathe in deeply. Let the air gently fill your lungs. Pause, then release. Feel the tension in your shoulders drift away. Inhale again, then exhale.
This is the give and take of breath. This is a deliberate slowing of the cadence of our breath. This is discovering a new, unforced rhythm.
Breathe was the theme of the retreat I attended in ...

Have you ever watched someone you love travel a path towards destruction? Some decisions are life-altering, multigenerational, take-no-prisoners kind of mistakes that affect everything and everyone they touch. It's like watching an avalanche in slow motion, and you feel helpless.
Recently, I trusted a close friend to share a weighty situation ...

I stared at my friend for what felt like forever, but was probably only milliseconds, as she waited for me to answer her question. It was a simple question, but anxiety welled up in my chest.
“Do you want to start walking with me every week?” she asked.
I stammered, “Um. Yes?” That had to be the answer, right? It's kind of a no-brainer. ...

Sometimes you run out of words. You don’t know what to say, and God feels far away. Even though you know you ought to, praying feels like another thing to check off that leaves you feeling guilty.
Life is complicated. In an age of information a Google search away, with friends on Instagram posting photos and updates, we can forget real life is ...

She died almost a year ago.
My friend, Tat. Beautiful, vibrant, bright-eyed Tat. She was twenty years old when the car crashed into hers, killing her instantly. I still hate that I have to talk about her in the past tense.
On August 17, it will somehow be one whole year since she was last breathing in this world. It’s hard to comprehend she ...

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to ...

Last week, I went to the dentist. It was my sixth visit in four months, and I sat in the chair for almost three hours getting a bunch of fillings. I have my next several appointments already on the calendar, as well as my semi-annual cleaning this fall.
Yes, that is many more dental appointments than the regular two cleanings a year. See, for ...

I remember hanging up the phone and sobbing. It felt like someone had ripped out my soul, swallowed it, and then spit it out. I don’t remember the last time I cried with my entire body, but that night I did. The conversation I had with a dear friend quickly turned south and years of buried pain came to the surface. Between heated accusations and ...

It was an ordinary Tuesday, except for the fact that I was on the verge of a breakdown over lemon zest. This sounds ridiculous, and it is, but it is also serious. This is the face of anxiety.
I sat at my desk, nestled under the far windows in my kitchen, and plugged away at a long list of work tasks -- emails to write, spreadsheets to analyze, ...